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Chapter 163: Award Ceremony

~Ruzark’s Perspective~

The day after I returned from the Ibrudia Empire, I was given an audience with His Majesty to report on all the details.

This is top secret information, but His Majesty is suffering from an incurable disease. When he appears in public, he covers himself up with make-up, but in reality, his complexion had deteriorated considerably and his body was weak.

Fernando may have already suspected this, but he has not been directly told about this. I do not know what His Majesty’s thoughts are… But I interpreted it as His Majesty worrying about the future of this country.

Just half a year ago, my older brother, the first prince, had the first line of succession to the throne, and the nobles who belonged to his faction were doing some pretty nasty things behind the scenes to enrich their pockets. Even I, who was gathering information at the time, didn’t know that Bride, who was the leader of that faction, was connected to the demons. Even if I had known, there was nothing I could have done. It could be said that I had hit a snag.

I think it was fate that I met Aun at that time. If I hadn’t met Aun at that time, I wouldn’t have made up my mind to become king, and even if I was thinking about it, I wouldn’t have been able to make a full-scale move.

It was the same with the recent demon attack. Without Aun’s overwhelming force and resourcefulness, there would have certainly been further catastrophe. That is not all. Even regarding the invasion of the Ibrudia Empire, it can be said without a doubt that it was thanks to [Star Supremacy] that the Arto Kingdom survived with minimal damage.

Such thoughts ran across my mind while reporting to His Majesty about the Council of the Seven Sphin Nations.

「—This is the full picture of what happened at the Council of Seven Sphin Nations「」

「I see. Well done.」

「Therefore, I would like you to consider rewarding [Black Thunder] and its affiliated clan [Star Supremacy].」

「Umu. As for that, I’ll leave it to you as the next king… Ruzark.」

「Yes, sir!」

After the ranking battle, the popularity of Star Supremacy and Black Thunder has exploded tremendously. A party with overwhelming force. Aun who leads it with strong charisma. The clan members who support him from the shadows. Among them, the fact that Barbaru, who was a mere peddler, was conferred a noble title, is something that can only be counted historically.

It was only natural for the populace to be fascinated by the clan called [Star Supremacy]. Then why not make the most of it? For now, let’s have Aun and the others ride the popularity wave as a reward.

(Fufu, I wonder if Aun will be surprised. Ah, I can’t wait for the award ceremony.)

「By the way, Ruzark, what kind of man is Aun to you? …This is not a question as the king, but as a father. Tell me your honest feelings.」

「Well, to put it in one word, my friend.」

「Hou… That’s a first. To hear you say that.」

「Indeed. Aun is the man who gave me a push on the back in a crucial situation and changed me in a good way… I’m the one who is always relying on him right now, but I really want to become someone whom he can rely on too.」

「Fufufu… I see. I’d like to talk to him at least once.」

It’s been a long time since we had a conversation as a father and son.

And I saw my father’s smile after a very long time.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

「The award ceremony will begin now.」

The prime minister’s words echoed in the throne room where royalty and nobles had gathered. As for the order of the ceremony, there will be a long explanation about the achievements that led to the awarding of the reward.

A glance at Aun revealed a slightly fed up look. I know that he is not good with this kind of place, but I hope he can compose himself a little bit more.

At the same time, however, I realized that I was thinking, “That’s just who Aun is,” and I started to grin a little. I wonder if I’m also poisoned by his charisma.

It was necessary to contact and obtain approval from various people for this award ceremony. After all, only a few people in the past were able to reach this point in the Arto Kingdom. It could even be called the final goal. Well, for Aun, even this would be considered as just a checkpoint…

After the prime minister explained the details, the king slowly rose from the throne.

「The repulsion of the demons at the Council of the Seven Sphin Nations this time was truly an admirable feat. In addition, in light of their achievements so far, the adventurer rank of all members of the [Black Thunder] will be raised to SS, and [Star Supremacy] will be ranked first in the Arto Kingdom’s clan ranking for the next five years!」

「「「「「We humbly accept it!」」」」」

Although they were surprised to some extent, all members of Black Thunder replied in uniform. Drake was the only one who clearly showed surprise on his face.

However, the reactions of those around us were not limited to that. Astonishment, dumbfoundedness, admiration…there were indeed various reactions. That’s no wonder, after all. “SS-rank adventurer” is a realm that is difficult to reach in the Arto Kingdom.

The award ceremony did not end there, however.

「Next is Ruzark Arto. Not only did he detect the invasion of the Ibrudia Empire in advance, he kept the damage to the Arto Kingdom to a minimum, and saved the lives of numerous people. He has become the light of hope for this kingdom by carrying out reconstruction and development work. This is undoubtedly a “royal quality”. Therefore, I hereby declare that Ruzark Arto is now first in line to the succession of the throne and is appointed as the next king!」

E-Eh!? I didn’t hear about this at all though! I thought that only Aun and others would be the ones to receive the reward this time, so I had let my guard down.

My eyes widened involuntarily. Looking at His Majesty, I saw the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

「Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I will push forward for the sake of the Arto Kingdom!」

(Seriously… What a surprise, father.)

I may have been a little carried away at that time…

Because I had overlooked the flames of hatred and jealousy that lit up in Fernando’s eyes, as well as determination——.